10 Fascinating Facts You Didn't Know About Younger's Dan Amboyer

Just when we think we couldn't get more excited for the second season of Younger, Dan Amboyer (Thad Steadman) delivers a bombshell: "I think if I told you the surprises in store, you wouldn't believe me!" OK, then, go on. "There are huge wow moments that I could never have predicted. Everything adds up in ways you couldn't see coming. I haven't even told my parents the big spoilers!"

If Dan's parents don't know, then we certainly don't expect him to tell us—but thankfully, he was much more open about everything else we threw at him. From details about his personal life to the career moments that all led up to his role as Hilary Duff's love interest on Younger, nothing was off limits with the charismatic Detroit native, who turned 30 this week. Listen in as we play 10 fun icebreakers and get to know the actor like you never have before.

1. Your first TV role was in 2007 on All My Children as "French fantasy man." What does that even mean? And what do you remember about that role? "It was a bit traumatizing! I was doing a play Off-Broadway that required me to go full monty. A somewhat risque snapshot of me greeting Sara Ramirez afterwards backstage ran in The New York Post. A director at All My Children saw it and offered me the part. Susan Lucci's character had been locked in a jail cell for some time, and she was having hallucinations. I was a steamy French man who appeared during one of her fantasy sequences. Armed with only a Speedo and bedroom eyes, I spoke with a French accent and boozed her up. I walked into my costume fitting to find only a rack of Speedos of varying coverage and colors. National TV debut in a Speedo. Yup, crossed that off my bucket list. (Too bad I didn't even know it was on my bucket list!) Then we were in talks for a multiyear contract in a new role, but things didn't quite line up in the end. Haven't worn a Speedo since!"

2. You starred in the Hallmark original film William & Catherine: A Royal Romance. If you could sit down with the Duke and Duchess and ask them anything, what would it be and why? "Truthfully, I wasn't a royal family nerd before playing William. I approached him as I would any other role, although he was indeed born into a very unusual set of circumstances. I think it would be cool to just have a green juice and hang with him. I would be respectful of his privacy, no hard hitting questions. I do know that he has seen our film. So maybe I'd ask what he thought about it all, and if it felt surreal to see me portray him. Perhaps one day I can convince him to have a go at playing me in a biopic?"

3. On your resume, you list stage combat as a special skill. If you could go head to head with any actor in a movie fight, who would it be and why? "I'm going to go with Uma Thurman in a hypothetical Kill Bill: Volume 3. One, because Uma Thurman is incredible. And two, those movies have the most fun and challenging fight sequences. You get to fly! Come on!"

4. You're starring in the upcoming Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. If you could cure the world of one problem, what would it be and why? "The lack of clean public restrooms in New York City! I can't tell you how many unnecessary lattes I've had to buy just for some relief while trotting about town! But really, wow, what a huge question. Hunger. Poverty. Disease. The abuse of our environment. Greed. War. Hate. All of those! We have to try harder to do our best every day, challenge ourselves to better our world."

5. You have three cats, Teddy Roosevelt, John Quincy Adams, and Lucille Ball. How did you end up adopting them and whose personality is closest to yours? "Lucille is just a kitten, a little red-headed trouble maker. The boys are 12 and 8 years old, both weighing in at about 25 pounds each. They're like little bobcats and variously related to one another. They are from a friend's cattery, Mysticoon of Florida. My biggest challenge of late has been training Lucille to have a healthy respect for my Amazon parrot, Havana. All of Lucille's instincts say attack, but I am working on reconditioning her inner lioness. Quincy is a sweet-natured lover cat who just wants to nuzzle, so you can find us like two peas in a pod cuddling it out, Netflix and chill style."

6. You were recently People's Sexiest Man of the Week, but also shared a photo of yourself on Instagram as a chubby kid and titled it "Inner/Outer." What have you learned about yourself having been an overweight kid and a very fit adult? "I've learned that no matter what shape you get your body into, if you don't get your head right, you're not going to feel good about yourself. I was a chubby kid, an outsider, and then all of a sudden I shot up to 6 foot 2, and people started calling me handsome. I couldn't accept it, I couldn't see it. I got an agent and was told I was a "leading man type," but I felt like a fraud going to those auditions. I am still that weird chubby funny kid inside, even though my external has changed. And now over the years, I've accepted that that's OK, I can still be me. I don't have to try to assume the stereotype of a traditional leading man, whatever that is. Part of what makes me unique is my background. It took me a long time to hear a compliment and allow myself to believe it and love myself. No amount of gym time will make you feel beautiful if you don't feel it on the inside."

7. Your Twitter profile says you were named by a Ouija board. Explain! "My older sisters were playing in our family's basement with a Ouija board, and the Spirit told them that one day they would have a brother named Daniel. My mother wasn't even pregnant yet, and she swears she didn't know of this mystical soothsaying before I was named. I now consult the Ouija board before any major life decision. (No, not really.)"

8. Younger is from Darren Star, who created Sex and the City. If you were to be friends in real life with Samantha, Carrie, Charlotte, or Miranda, which one would be your perfect BFF? "Sex and the City was the thing while I was growing up. I remember weekly gatherings when a new episode aired, at whoever's pad had HBO. That show is how I learned about New York. It shaped how I imagined living life as a New Yorker might be. But I'm gonna go with Carrie! She's a little smorgasbord of all the ladies perhaps. The Swiss Army knife of friends, adaptable for any situation."

9. Your birthday is between Christmas and New Year's. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? "It's a great thing because it means my immediate family is always around. It's a bad thing because it means I'm usually far from friends. Last year, I managed to round up all my crew just before the holidays to have a big ice skating party in Central Park for my birthday. That was so fun. This year I will be in France, so that may just take the figurative [birthday] cake!"

10. On Younger, Thad is not the best boyfriend. What's something that you consider yourself the best at in your own relationships, past or present? "I like to think that I'm a good listener. I really enjoy being supportive of everyone around me. I'm always up to help or work through a challenge, and I find real joy in the success of my circle! I love being involved in someone's journey to greatness. And I am an extreme cuddler. I can be very tactile in my affection."

Younger season two premieres on January 13 on TV Land. For more on the upcoming season, check out our new interview with Nico Tortorella.